Choosing a new song for Scotland

There were also calls yesterday for a public petition on the issue, set to be drawn up by an Edinburgh pensioner, to be put before the environment and culture committee for approval. If MSPs on the committee give the petition their blessing, it could result in a full debate in the Scottish Parliament.

The moves follow a landmark ruling on Tuesday by parliamentary lawyers who agreed that the choice of anthem for Scotland was a matter for the devolved administration. Previously, officials had insisted the choice of anthem was the preserve of Westminster.

Following the change of heart, both the Scottish National Party and the Green Party backed The Scotsman’s campaign and called for a nationwide public debate to decide the most suitable alternative to "God Save the Queen".

Chris Ballance, a Green Party MSP who has lobbied for an official Scottish anthem, intends to launch a campaign early next week to galvanise public support for a change.

Mr Ballance has already tabled a parliamentary motion calling for Robert Burns’s A Man’s a Man for a’ That to be adopted - although he does not mind what is chosen, as long as a definite decision is taken.

"This is wonderful news because it is absolutely vital that we have a national anthem of our own," Mr Ballance said.

"We are a national parliament and ‘God Save the Queen’ is wholly inappropriate for Scotland in that context. If nothing else, it is inappropriate for the verses that celebrate the fact that the King is crushing rebellious Scots."

Mr Ballance, having expressed his first preference, said he also liked Hamish Henderson’s The Freedom Come All Ye.

"There are plenty of possibilities, but my main concern is to get the debate going and I am really pleased that The Scotsman has picked this up," he added.

Michael Matheson, the SNP’s culture spokesman, called for the parliament to take the lead in deciding what the new national anthem should be.

"I am pleased The Scotsman has chosen to take the lead on this issue and I will be very interested to see the results of their poll," he said.

"It is now up to the parliament to take the lead and I have written to the Presiding Officer, George Reid, to ask him to commission a consultation exercise so that the public can have their say.

"The national anthem should be an anthem for the people and it is only right that they have the opportunity to become involved."

The decision by the parliament’s lawyers came about only because of the tireless work of an Edinburgh pensioner, also called George Reid.

Mr Reid had previously secured a major success when he persuaded the Scottish Executive to establish an official shade of blue for the Saltire - Pantone 300. He harried the parliament and the Executive for months before Jim Wallace, then the justice minister, agreed to set the colour of the flag.

After that success, Mr Reid turned his attention to the national anthem and has been lobbying the parliament for months to find out who has the authority to decide the issue.

After being directed from Holyrood to Westminster and back again, Mr Reid finally got the decision he wanted on Tuesday, when he was told by the clerk to the Holyrood petitions committee that lawyers had agreed that the national anthem was the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament.

"I would like the Scottish Parliament to launch a competition. The country is teeming with musicians and poets. Surely we can come up with one of each to come up with something that we can be proud of," he said.

"I just cringe when I hear Flower of Scotland. I refuse to define myself in terms of the English. I don’t think we should be backward-looking."

"God Save the Queen" was penned as an anti-Jacobite song, which came to prominence at the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s abortive invasion in 1745.

The Presiding Officer said last night: "The public petitions committee is expecting a petition to be lodged by Mr George Reid and I would not wish to pre-empt or interfere in the parliamentary process that will give due consideration to that petition."